Detachably integrated battery charger for mobile cell phones and like devices

ABSTRACT

A cell phone charger comprises a main body having embedded therein a charging circuit configured to receive line AC voltage and to convert it to a DC voltage suitable for charging the mobile device. AC prongs fold into the body in a stowed position and a connection structure formed integrally with the main body grasps onto and holds the charger secured to the cell phone device. In a preferred embodiment, the AC prongs pivot independently and lie flat against an outside surface of the main body.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application is a continuation of application Ser. No.13/546,307, filed Jul. 11, 2012, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,712,486, issuedApr. 29, 2014 entitled DETACHABLY INTEGRATED BATTERY CHARGER FOR MOBILECELL PHONES AND LIKE DEVICES, which is a continuation-in-part ofapplication No. 13/348,066 filed Jan. 11, 2012, now U.S. Pat. No.8,712,486, issued Apr. 29, 2014, entitled DETACHABLY INTEGRATED BATTERYCHARGER FOR MOBILE CELL PHONES AND LIKE DEVICES which claims the benefitof U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/432,050 filed on Jan. 12,2011, entitled DETACHABLY INTEGRATED BATTERY CHARGER FOR MOBILE CELLPHONES AND LIKE DEVICES, the entire contents of which are incorporatedby reference herein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is generally directed to a battery charger and,more particularly, to a battery charger for cell phones and like mobiledevices which is constructed to be detachably integrated with the bodyof the cell phone, with minimal alteration of the cell phone's weightand/or dimensions.

The present invention is rooted in the inspired realization by thepresent inventors that the explosive and unrelenting adoption byhundreds of millions, if not billions, of people of the cellular cellphone as the primary communication device, requires renewed focus on itscharger circuitry and on the method and approach to charging cellphones, PDAs, and mobile communication devices generally.

Personal computing and communication devices such as the familiar cellphone, or the digital communication devices such as the famousBlackberry® and similar devices have been uniquely designed to behand-held. They generally have a box-like, rectangular shape with aspecific height, width and thickness dimensions that vary from device todevice. The width of the typical cell phone is generally in the rangefrom 4 to 7 centimeters or even 8 cm, with a height of approximately 10cm and a thickness on the order of from 7 to 20 mm.

These devices are provided, as a rule, with a charging port in the formof a small connector within a wall socket measuring on the order of 2 to3 mm in depth and about 7 mm in length. In a typical application, usersare provided with separate charging devices, which consist of a chargerbody from with an AC electrical plug with a pair of prongs that can beinserted into an AC wall socket carrying 115v or 220v, and a long cablewhich terminates in a diminutive charging plug which can be insertedinto the charging socket of the portable cell phone or like device. Suchchargers are sometimes provided with a charger body which is designed tofit into an automobile 12 volt (or similar) DC power source, which powersource is then converted to a voltage which is compatible with thevoltage and current requirements of the particular mobile device.

Carrying around these charging devices is bothersome and annoying. Mentypically carry their mobile devices either in their pockets or tetheredto their belts. They do not typically lug around bothersome chargers,which they usually keep either on their office desks or at home. Withwomen, the situation is a bit easier because they often carry theirportable cell phones in their handbags, which provide more space to alsostore the battery charger. But the annoyance still remains because thelong cable and the charger do not lend themselves to easy and neatkeeping in a pocket or in a handbag. All too often, men and women findthemselves in situations where their cell phone is about to become fullydischarged with no convenient means of charging them.

To the present inventors' knowledge, the prior art has not conceived ofand has certainly not provided a means which allows the mobile device toincorporate within its body or be mechanically integrated with acharging device which becomes part of the cell phone, and which allowsthe electrical plug to be swung out from within the cell phone and to bedirectly inserted into an 115/220 volt AC wall socket.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide a battery chargerfor mobile electronic devices which is configured to be detachablyattached, in a manner which allows it to become an integrated part ofthe cell phone itself without unduly increasing the size or overalldimensions of the cell phone device.

It is a further object of the invention to provide battery charger bodywhich is shaped and configured to snap or slide onto the back of a cellphone, hugging the cell phone body tightly, like a bottom cover, andwhich has integrated therein the charger which adds only a minimalamount to the thickness of the cell phone.

It is yet another object of the invention to provide a same type ofcharger which can be flush with either the length and width of the cellphone or one which extends from the right side or left side or the topor bottom dimensions of the cell phone and which has an integratedcharger therein with an electrical plug that can be swung out from itsbody in a manner that allows its direct insertion into a conventionalelectrical AC socket.

The foregoing and other objects of the invention are realized by meansof a charger which has a main body with a charging circuit embeddedtherein, wherein the charging circuit is configured to receive a line ACvoltage and to convert it into a DC voltage suitable for charging amobile device, as well as AC prongs foldable into the main body in astowed position and pivotable out of the main body in an operableposition. A connection structure is formed integrally with the main bodyin a manner which allows it to extend from the main body and in aconfiguration which allows the connection structure to grasp onto andhold the charger secured literally integrally to the mobile device forwhich it is intended. In addition, a charger plug is integrally formedwith the charger and located on the charger such as to allow the chargerplug to be inserted into a charging port of the mobile device, so thatthe charger is essentially substantially permanently connectedphysically and electrically with a mobile device during the use of themobile device, allowing the AC prongs to be positioned in an operableposition for charging a mobile device while the mobile device is in use.

In accordance with other features of the charger, its main body is agenerally flat body with a substantially uniform thickness dimension,where the thickness is on the order of 4 to 25 mm, preferably less thanabout 12 mm or even more preferably less than about 8 mm, as comparedwith the length and width dimensions, which are on the order of severalcentimeters, for example, about 5 cm in width and 10 cm in length.

In one embodiment, the connection structure comprises left and rightresilient holding panels which grasp the side walls of the mobile deviceand have large cutouts to avoid obstructing any electrical switches orbuttons of the mobile device. Also preferably, the AC prongs are foldedalong the width or the length, with the thickness dimension of theprongs being received in a trough formed in the main body of the chargerso that the prongs penetrate only a distance of 2 or 3 mm into the mainbody.

In other embodiments, the connection structure is formed as theremovable back cover of the mobile device and utilizes the built-inconnection mechanism of the mobile device.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent from the following description of the invention which refers tothe accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective of a typical hand-held mobile communicationdevice, illustrating its overall rectangular shape and comparativedimensions and component layout.

FIG. 2 is a back view of the mobile device of FIG. 1 with coverpartially removed, exposing the internal battery and mechanism forattaching the cover.

FIG. 2A provides a view of the back side of the cell phone cover of FIG.2.

FIG. 3 is a perspective of the present invention showing a cell phonejacket with a main body in which is located a charging circuit and withside panels designed to snap around and hold onto the side walls of thehandheld mobile communication device of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3A shows a rear view of the charger jacket of FIG. 1, with AC powerprongs folded flush with the back body surface of the charger.

FIG. 3B shows the rear view of the charger jacket of FIG. 3A with theprongs in an operable position.

FIG. 3C shows structural details of operation of the prongs.

FIG. 3D shows an alternate embodiment of the folding mode of the ACprongs.

FIG. 3E shows the AC prongs of FIG. 3A, with a vertical orientation.

FIG. 3F shows the AC prongs of FIG. 3E located on the side panel.

FIG. 4 is a circuit and layout diagram of the charging circuit of thepresent invention.

FIGS. 4A and 4B provide examples of internal circuits of the chargingcircuit.

FIG. 5 shows an alternative embodiment of the charger jacket of FIG. 3,showing a charging body with an attachment panel which replaces theconventional cover of the mobile device shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 6 shows a further charger circuit embodiment which, like FIG. 5, isprovided along the top of the mobile device, so as to provide a longercell phone and charger combination, while maintaining the thicknessdimension of the mobile device.

FIG. 7 shows an automobile charging accessory for the charger of FIGS.3-6 of the present invention.

FIG. 8 shows a board layout for the invention, which also serves as aheat sync for dissipating energy.

FIG. 9 is a schematic of a cell phone belt clip housing a chargingcircuit.

FIG. 9A is a left side view of FIG. 9.

FIG. 9B is a right side view of FIG. 9.

FIG. 10 shows a cell phone jacket designed to be hooked onto the beltclip of FIG. 9.

FIG. 11 is a further developed view of FIG. 3E.

FIG. 12 is a further developed view of FIG. 3F.

FIG. 13 is a perspective of a further embodiment for concealed flatlying A/C prongs (“flat prongs”).

FIGS. 14 and 15 show different stages of the exposing of the flat prongsof FIG. 13.

FIG. 16 is a perspective of yet another embodiment for flat prongs.

FIG. 17 is a still further embodiment of an arrangement of flat prongs.

FIG. 18 is a still further embodiment of flat prongs.

FIG. 19 is yet another embodiment for flat prongs.

FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating a slide switch mechanism for raisingand lowering flat prongs.

FIG. 21 is a further mechanism for raising and lowering flat prongs.

FIG. 22 is still another embodiment for raising and lowering flatprongs.

FIG. 23 is a still further mechanism for raising and lowering flatprongs,

FIG. 24 is yet another mechanism for raising and lowering flat prongs.

FIG. 25 perspectively illustrates another mechanism for a small bodycharger for a mobile electronic device.

FIG. 26 perspectively illustrates another charger embodiment for aphone.

FIG. 27 illustrates a connector designed for signal flow through.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

With reference to FIG. 1, shown therein is a conventional, handheldmobile device 10, which may be any cell phone device, such as the nowpopular iPhone® line of phones, or the phones provided by the many othermanufacturers in the field, including the Blackberry®. The communicationdevice 10 of FIG. 1 has a generally rectangular shaped body 11 withdimensions as mentioned before and with a front panel featuring adisplay 12 and a keyboard 14. Of course, the device 10 may be of thetype having a touchscreen, instead of a keyboard. Along the sides arevarious controls and connectors, including, for example, an audio outputconnector 16 and an interface circuit which also serves as a chargingport 18, and various on/off switches 20 and other controls.

Turning to FIG. 2, in typical fashion, the mobile device 10 has abackside 22 with a removable panel or cover 24, which is typicallyreleased by pressing a release button 26, which allows the cover 24 toslide in grooved channels 28, 30, to expose a tightly packedcompartment, including a battery 32. As is well known and also as shownin both FIG. 2 and FIG. 2A, the backside of the cover 24 has tongues 34with catches 36, as well as a lock catch 38. When that cover 24 isplaced facing down and in registrations with the slots 40 in the mainbody of the mobile device 10, it fits in and can slide until its catch38 is caught and locked in the catch bar 27, which bar can be releasedby pressing the button 26.

Turning to FIG. 3, in order to avoid tampering with the mobile device 10(and so possibly compromising warranties and/or to simplify its use),the invention provides a jacket style charger unit 50 which has thegeneral configuration of a jacket with a back panel 52 which has athickness of several millimeters and in which is embedded the chargingcircuit described below, or like charging circuits. The generally flatback panel 52 of the charger jacket 50 is flanked by left and righthugging panels 54, 56 which are inwardly curved, resilient and designedto either allow the mobile device 10 to be slid therebetween, or to beforcefully snapped onto the back side of the mobile device 10 and graspand hold the side walls 13, 15 of the mobile device 10 (FIG. 1). Toavoid blocking or obstructing access to the various controls typicallyfound on the sidewalls 13, 15 and along the top of the mobile device 10,the resilient panels 54, 56 are largely cutout and have only severaljoining ribs for rigidity, which allow full access to the electricalconnectors, switches and ports.

Alternatively, instead of the resilient panels, one may use straps, forexample, rubber straps by which the charger is held to the phone body.

In addition, the charger jacket 50 of FIG. 3 also has a connector 60which provides a male plug which routes the charging signals into thecharging connector 18 (FIG. 1). In use, the connector 60 is aligned withthe socket 18 and then the charger 50 is swung from the other side,whereby a direct connection is made between the charging circuit 62(described below) and the internal battery 12 of the mobile device 10for the purposes of the charging thereof

Turning to FIG. 3A, the rear of the charger jacket 10 is shown to have ashallow trough 64 a few millimeters deep, e.g., 2-4 mm, in which liefolded down the righthand side and lefthand side, AC prongs 66, 68 whichare mounted inside the trough or recess 64 flush with the outer surface70. Also shown is a miniature on/off switch 75, whose function shall bedescribed immediately below. Each of the AC prongs 66 and 68, isdesigned to pivot around a respective longitudinally extending axis 72,74 at its base, whereby each prong can be swung out from the body andextended out in a manner shown in FIG. 3B. To maintain the prongposition perpendicular to the body of the jacket charger 50, a bottom ofthe prong is shown to have a pointed, generally rectangular, detent 76,which when the prong is swung out, snaps into an underlying recess (notshown) which allows the prong to reliably holds its perpendicularposition. The side of the detent 76 also serves to maintain each prongflat against the flat bottom of the trough 64, in the stowed position.As shown, the AC prongs 66, 68 pivot in opposite directions, e.g., tothe left and to the right. However, a person of ordinary skill in theart would readily recognize that they can have a length which is equalto approximately the separation therebetween and they both can pivot tothe right or both can pivot to the left and a mechanism may be providedto slide a lever that lifts both of them simultaneously and similarlystows both of them simultaneously.

When the jacket charger 50 is mounted on the cell phone 10, it enablesthe cell phone to be easily carried around and held in one's hand, withonly about 5 mm or so being added to the thickness of the mobile device10, which does not detract from the comfort of carrying the mobiledevice around, while providing the peace of mind and convenience ofbeing able to recharge the cell phone at any time by simple plugginginto any AC wall socket (and while simultaneously even using thedevice). The detent mechanism 96 of FIG. 3C can be configured so thatthe distal ends of the prongs are more spaced apart (compared to at thebase), but held resiliently in a manner which allows the AC plug totightly grab the wall AC socket while supporting the weight of themobile device 10.

In FIG. 3D, the AC prongs 66, 68 are oriented such that their commonpivoting axis 78 is coextensive and the width dimension of the prongsfits inside the jacket. In this embodiment, it is naturally so that thethickness of the jacket would be somewhat increased, which in certainembodiments, may not pose or present any drawback. In other words, thetwo prongs pivot together and their width dimension lies in thethickness dimension of the charger body. Also, as a further alternative,the plug in FIG. 3D is not pivotal within the cutout in the body, but israther connected to the charging circuit via a short AC cable 79 whichmeasures less than 5 inches, so that the plug can be retrieved andinserted in an AC wall socket in situations where it might be difficultfor the body of the charger to lie flush against the wall socket.

In FIG. 3E, the two pivoting axes 72, 74 of the prongs 66, 68 areoriented to extend along the width of the charger jacket 50, with theprongs oriented along the length of the device to provide an evengreater space for the prongs, increasing the length thereof wherenecessary. In FIG. 3F, the prongs, 66, 68 are located on the side panel56, for increasing ease of connection to an AC wall socket and avoidingentirely covering or obstructing access to said wall power socket.

Turning to FIG. 4, shown therein is the typical arrangement, whereby acharging circuit 80, such as shown in FIG. 4A, is embedded in the backpanel of the charger 50, and connected at one end to terminals 82, 84for receiving the hot and ground terminal inputs from the AC prongs 66,68 previously described and for outputting at the other end thereof, aDC voltage at plug 60, which voltage is slightly higher than thebattery's 32 nominal voltage, in order to effect the charging function,in well known fashion.

FIG. 4A illustrates a typical prior art design of a charging circuit 80.Thus, the AC input 82 can be provided to a circuit block 84 which mayrepresent either, according to one design, just a connector block, or,according to another design, a rectifying circuit, which could be a halfwave or a full wave AC rectifier, to produce a positive voltage at theinput 86 into the control circuit 88. In accordance with anotherembodiment, the block 14 represents a transformer which steps down the115 or 220 volt AC input to a lower magnitude AC voltage suitable forthe charging circuit 80, via a diode (not shown).

The charging circuit 80 comprises, as is well known, the mentionedcontrol circuit 88, which repetitively turns on and off and alsocontrols the duty cycle of a power switch 90 which allows just the rightamount of electrical charge to pass to charge capacitor 92. The chargingcurrent is smoothed by an inductor 94 which charges the capacitor 92,maintaining the necessary low DC voltage at the output 96 of thecharging circuit, which voltage is fed to the battery 32, via theblocking, forward biased diode 98. The output of the capacitor 96 isalso fed back to the control circuit 88 to provide a closed loop forvoltage control purposes. The diode 99 provides a current path for theback EMF of the inductor 94. The foregoing is just a representativecharging circuit, and an example of the dozens of such circuits widelyknown in the art. The design can use a buck converter, various DC to DCschemes and operate at extremely high frequencies to reduce thedimension of a transformer (used for AC isolation) if needed. A DC to DCcircuit portion can be provided before or after the transformer or evenat both locations, as should be readily apparent to one skilled indesigning low voltage, DC output power supplies. An example circuit isillustrated in FIG. 4B. This charging circuit 180 uses a forwardconverter 182, which generates a smaller DC voltage for the AC-DCconverter 184. Thus, an AC source 186 drives a transformer 188 which isturned on and off at a high rate, for example, on the order of 100 kHz(or even at a megahertz rate) in order to realize a small sizedtransformer, generating a burst of AC power pulses which are rectifiedby the diode 190. The capacitor 191 stores a DC voltage across resistordividers 192, 193. The voltage between the resistor dividers is tappedfor a controller 194 which provides the high speed on/off control anddrives the switching resistor 195, all in well known manner. Thiscircuit provides the needed AC isolation and an implementation which canbe realized with a transformer of a very small size owing to the highspeed of operation thereof, again in well known manner.

The output current may be on the order of 600 mAmps, which isconventional for some mobile phones or only, say 300 mAmps, trading offspeed of charging but gaining a still smaller charger circuit size.

The charger 50 may incorporate within a spare battery 32 a (see FIG.4A), and the switch 73 may be a double pole switch so operable that inone position current passing through diode 98 charges the phone battery32 and in the other position the spare battery 32 a. Thus, the sparebattery may be used to charge the regular battery when AC power isunavailable (for example, in an automobile, on a bus or plane, etc.).

In accordance with a further feature, an optional USB connector 100allows bypassing the charging circuit 80 to provide charging current vialines 102 that connect to charging connector 60, at nodes 104 and 106.See FIGS. 4 and 4A. In FIG. 3B, the USB connector is shown slidablyintegrated into a charger body.

In alternatives to the jacket style charger 50, FIG. 5 shows a charger100 which is designed not to increase the thickness of the cell phone,but rather, its length. The charging circuit 80 herein is housed in asmall, rectangular body 102 which has approximately the same width andthickness as the mobile device 10 and which sits atop (or on the bottom)thereof. In the device 100 of this embodiment, the AC prongs 66, 68 canbe fitted along the back thereof, as described previously, or owing tothe greater thickness of the charger 100, can be embodied inside itsbody 102, as shown in FIG. 3D. Via a living hinge 104, a smallplasticized ribbon 106 supports thereon the DC plug 60, which isprecisely positioned so that it can be swung into the charging socket 18of the mobile device 10. It will be readily recognized that the chargersherein would be designed in each instance to fit a particular style ofmobile device, matching its particular width, length and thicknessdimensions and the location of its charging port 18.

The charger 100 of FIG. 5 is designed to be connected to the cell phone10 without at all grabbing on or obstructing the side panels. Herein,the charging circuit body 102 has a connecting panel 110 which in everyrespect is constructed to mimic the dimension, shape and function of thecell phone cover 24 of FIG. 2. It is also integral with and extends fromthe body 102 and supports it. Here, the mobile device cover 24 isremoved and the extension panel 110 is inserted and attached to the cellphone's existing cover holding mechanism, inasmuch as the panel has thesame tongues 34, 36 and catch 38 which allows it to be connected in sucha manner that the rear of the cell phone is not obstructed in any wayand the panel 110 also may have the openings for a camera lens or aflashlight, as typically found, for example, on a Blackberry® and othercell phone devices.

In yet another embodiment, in lieu of the panel 110, a cage-likeplasticized body 111, as shown in FIG. 6, is provided which allows thecharger 100 to be slipped on the top of the cell phone with alatticework that basically blocks nothing requiring access by the cellphone user on the body of the mobile device 10.

In general, the charger styles described herein allow for the electricalcomponents of the circuit 80 to be spaced over a substantial area ofeven as high as 50 cm square. In order to achieve the thin profile ofthe jacket 50, it is intended herein that the circuit components, suchas those shown in FIG. 4A, are especially configured to use flatcomponents 114 and in many instances, for resistor, diode, particularlycapacitors components to use several discrete components in parallel (orserial), in order to distribute the heat dissipation and reduce thethickness dimensions of each component while attaining the appropriateresistance, capacitance and heat disposition values. For example, aresistance of 100 ohms can be implemented as two resistors of 200 ohmseach (or two 50 ohm serial resistors), where each resistor dissipatesonly one-half the generated heat. This is, for example, shown in FIG. 8,which shows the components to be small, flat and widely spaced. Inaddition, the internal jacket 50 can be lined with heat conducting metalpaths 116, so that any heat generated within is more easily andefficiently spread over a greater area and more effectively dissipated.

Please note that the switch 72 shown in FIGS. 3A, 4A, allows the chargerto be electrically disconnected from the charging socket 18 of themobile device 10, to avoid any issue of the battery 32 dischargingthrough the charger 50 during periods when the charger is not connectedto an AC wall socket. This function can be provided by theaforementioned diode 98.

As a further accessory, FIG. 7 shows a plug-style DC to DC or a DC to ACconverter circuit 120, the details of which are well known in the art,provided in a body that includes a plug 122 that fits the conventional12 volt power plug in automobiles and which outputs at the other endthereof, its output voltage at a socket 124 which is indistinguishablefrom the conventional AC socket. Thus, leaving that plug inside one'sautomobile allows the cell phone to be simply inserted therein duringdriving, so maintaining the cell phone fully charged and/or charging it,if necessary. The body shape of the plug 120 may extend straight or becontoured so that the socket 124 extends toward the driver with the cellphone resting on top of the socket, for hands free operation duringdriving, if appropriate.

In general, the present invention describes a charger body in which theratio of the body thickness dimension to the product of the length andwidth dimensions thereof is considerably lower than in the prior art.For example, the length, width and thickness of a prior art chargermeasuring, respectively, 6×4×2 centimeters yields a ratio of 0.083.Here, a charger body measuring 10×6×1 centimeters yields a ratio of0.017. The inventors intend to encompass charger body styles where thatratio is equal to or less than 0.05.

In accordance with a further embodiment, the charging circuit 80 of FIG.4A or a like circuit is embedded into a cell phone holder 200 which canbe clipped to a person's clothing, typically a belt. See FIG. 9. Thecell phone holder 200 has a first body component 202 which is pivotallyattached to a clip 204 through a spring-biased pivot 206 with a contactpoint between holder body parts 202 and 204 at a bottom portion 208,whereby the holder can be clipped onto a belt of person, in well knownmanner. A round or oval, or even square catch 214 is attached to theholder body 202 via a projection 212 forming a hook 210 onto which thetelephone which is provided with the previously described jacket 51 canbe hooked by the jacket 51 being formed with a holding structure 53 withan opening 55.

The holder body 202 comprises within the charging circuit 80 whichreceives AC power via foldable AC prongs 66 and 68 (see FIG. 3E),further via AC wires 69 which pass through the pivot structure to thebody 202.

The DC charging power is passed through the stem 212 and onto electricalcontacts 214 formed on the catch 214. The electrodes 216 mate withsimilar electrodes 57 on the jacket 51 and thus, DC charging power isconducted via routing wires 59 to the charging plug 60, as previouslydescribed.

As in a prior embodiment, a USB connector 100 can be provided within thebody 202 and slid out so that it can be connected directly to supplycharging power to the electrodes 216 shown in FIG. 9A.

Using the embodiment of FIG. 9 through FIG. 10, the supporting cellphone belt holder 200 doubles as a case for a charging circuit. Thebasic arrangement of cell phone belt holder is described in greaterdetail in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2003/0000976, the contents ofwhich are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. As before,a telephone charger which is embedded in a holder is realized in a smallsize. For example, the body portion 202 might typically measure about 6cm in length, 3 cm in width, and 1 to 1½ cm in thickness. The beltholder can be designed and optimized for clipping a wall panel inside alady's handbag or in any carrying case, whereby it can be carried by menand ladies alike. This charger can also be used in an automobile byusing the adapter previously described relative to FIG. 7.

With the present invention, a highly integrated charger having anappealing appearance which does not mar the body style of the cell phoneand does not appreciably increase its dimensions, has been described.The device avoids the drawbacks of the prior art, which require users tolug around separate chargers, both for their automobiles and for homeuse in the manner originally described.

The foregoing description of the invention inherently embodies thefollowing features and aspects, as well as others not previouslyexplicated, as elaborated below.

Thus, in the preceding description, the charger 50, per se, has beendescribed as a stand-alone device that can be secured to the electricaldevice, i.e., to the cell phone, by being clipped or fitted to it invarious ways. Alternatively, as already mentioned, the charger itselfcan be integrated with the phone by forming or replacing its cover.However, it is inherent and implicit in the previous description, thatthe described charger can be physically integrated as to become anintegral part of the very body of the portable device at the factory, sothat it would not be separable by the end user from the phone. Nothingin the foregoing description needs to be altered to realize thementioned embodiment, where the charger and the portable electronicdevice are integrated in a single housing. As mentioned, the portabledevice may be a phone, a music or video player, a PDA, a tablet, and thelike, the main objective herein being that these phones, etc., whichoften have thicknesses on the order of about 10 mm, and even less, canbe fitted with a charger that adds no more than a few millimeters tothat thickness dimension, with the charger having A/C prongs that lieflat in the charger, so that the main body plane of the charger issubstantially parallel to the main body plane of the portable device. Ingeneral, the charger 50 preferably has a substantially (meaning mostly)flat and thin rectangular body (with possibly rounded corners), with onesurface that substantially matches the phone wall surface which itabuts. In other words, the thickness dimension is preferablysubstantially uniform. Naturally, deviations as by providing a smallbulging section (or sections) is still to be deemed that the charger issubstantially flat. Certainly, bulging over only 25 percent or less ofthe charger surface can be ignored. Also, the overall shape of thecharger need not be rectangular as it could be oval, round, triangularetc. The side walls may be beveled or rounded.

Additional variations or aspects are possible, including the onesdescribed below. Referring to FIGS. 11 and 12, shown herein in dashedlines are the AC prongs 68, 66 in their elevated positions, where theyhave been elevated out of the plane of the charger in order to allowthem to be inserted into an A/C wall socket in one's home, office, andthe like.

Referring to FIG. 13, the phone charger 500 has a main body thickness 71in which, through one side end thereof, flat lying A/C prongs 568, 566are capable of emerging from within the body 71 through respectiveinterior channels 564, 562. Through a slider, for example, the slider582 shown in FIG. 16, which can be slid to the right, and which iscoupled to the prong 568, 566, these A/C prongs can be pushed out of thebody 71, as shown in FIG. 14, in which state, the charger in the A/Cprongs 568, 566 are in a position where they might be used inEuropean-style A/C sockets, but not in the United States-style sockets.To that end, these prongs 568, 566 are mounted on a pivot axis 564, 562which enable them to be rotated to the position shown in FIG. 15, andthereby make them usable in the United States-style A/C sockets.Interiorly, the prongs remain in contact with conductive contacts whichroute the AC signals to the circuitry shown in FIGS. 4 and 4A.Alternatively, the prongs may be oriented as in FIG. 15 while stillwithin the body 71 or within the phone 10 (FIG. 1).

Referring to FIG. 16, here, the A/C prongs 568, 566 are not concealedwithin the body 71, but rather lie in open channels and each prong canbe pivoted about its respective pivot axis 576, 574, and then turned tothe position shown in dashed lines to achieve the ends of the presentinvention. As noted, the slider 582 can be used for that purpose. Thatslider can be moved partially inside a depression or cutout 580 in thebody 71. The arrow 584 indicates the back and forth movement of theslider 582, which achieves the objectives of the present invention.

Similar to the prior embodiments, in FIG. 17, the A/C prongs 592, 594are located in a cutout 590 in the body 71, and can be pivoted abouttheir respective pivot axes 596, 598 and then rotated to the positionshown in the dashed lines to achieve the same end as describedpreviously.

In FIG. 18, the prongs 592 a, 594 a can be pivoted around their pivotaxes and subsequently the bottom prong 592 b can be slid to the left onits pivot axis 599, so it aligns with the upper A/C prong 590 as shownin dashed lines.

In FIG. 19, the prongs 592 b, 594 b overlie one another and can bepivoted to the operational position as shown in dashed lines.

Various mechanisms can be deployed to raise and lower the mentionedprongs, including as shown in FIGS. 20-24.

Referring to FIG. 20, A/C prongs 68, 66 are respectively mounted totheir respective pivoting bodies, each of which has pivoting pins 606,608, which are mounted within a recess so that the pivoting bodies 602,604 are capable of rotating, but not translating. A tight spring wire610 has one end fixed to the pivot body 602 at 610 a and the other endat 610 b on the pivot body 604. The wire is spring-like, owing to which,it will constantly exert a strong counterclockwise pull on one pivot anda clockwise pull on the other, assuring that the prongs 68, 66 arealways drawn or biased to lie flat in the body of the charger (in theplane of the paper). A similar wire 612 wound on the same axis andpassing by pins 616 a, 616 b can be pushed up by a catch 626 located ona slider body 622, so that when the knob 620 is slid within the cutout620, it will move up, pulling on the wire and working against the springforce of the wire 610, raise the prongs 68, 66 to extend perpendicularlyto the plane of the charger. The knob 622 a has a bottom detent whichcatches within a groove located on a groove 622 b located as shown,allowing its position to hold against the force of the spring wire 610.If desired, the spring 610 can be also biased with physical spring 623that pulls on it in the plane of the charger.

In the alternate embodiment of FIG. 21, the pivot bodies have inclinedgrooves 630 a, 630 b, respectively, in which pins 632 a, 632 b of theslider 622 can slide. When the slider body 622 is moved by pushing onthe knob 622 a, the pins 632 a, 632 b ride in the groove 630 a, 630 band rotates the prong 68, 66 to the upright position. This embodimenthas the advantage that it does not require any metallic springs.

In FIG. 22, the grooves are formed inside these bodies 640 a, 640 b inwhich are internally formed the inclined grooves 642 a, 642 b, wherebywhen the prongs 644 a, 644 b associated with the slider 622 ride insidewithin the bodies of the pivots, they will rotate them in a self-evidentmanner. The two slider pins 644 a, 644 b are connected by joining bar640 a which is connected in-turn to the slider body 622, and souniformly turning the prongs.

In FIG. 23, each pivot, for example, the pivot body 602, can haveinstead of a groove, a protruding catch 631 that is inclined to the axisor the body 602, as shown. The companion pivot body has a similarprotrusion which extends in an opposed orientation. Therefore, when theslide body 622, having the pins 632 a, 632 b, engages these projections631, it will inherently rotate the bodies 602, 604 to raise theassociated prongs from their normally stowed position.

Lastly, in FIG. 24, prongs 68, 66 are biased internally to standupright. When the slider body 625 is pushed between the prongs, itsinitial narrowed body portion 627 begins to pivot the prongs to theright and to the left, respectively, until the wider body portion 623 ofthe slider overlies the pins (partly or totally) and keeps them down.Thus, the wider portion of the slider can be as wide as the extent ofthe prongs and totally cover them, so that no portion of the prongs isvisible when the slider has been pushed sufficiently forwardly,providing improved aesthetics.

In a further embodiment of the invention, and as illustrated in FIG. 25,the charger 700 has prongs 766, 768 that can be inserted into a new typeof a phone 710 that has sockets 712, 714 into which the charger 700 canbe inserted so as to attach and integrate the phone and the charger intoa single body. To charge the telephone, the body 700 is pulled out androtated into an A/C socket and, thus, is able to provide charging powerthrough a cable 720 which is associated with the telephone 710. Ifdesired, in this embodiment too, the prongs 766, 768 can lie flat andthe charger 700 located under the phone is attached to the phone viasnaps 722, 724 that fit in grooves 726 formed on the phone body itself.Regardless, when the charger is not in use, it has the appearance of asingle phone device whereby it is simply an extension of the phoneitself. If desired, a USB port-style or an Apple-style connector 730 isprovided within the charger 700, which can be slid, and thereby insertedinto the charging slot of the phone, dispensing with the need for thephysical cable 720.

In the description provided above relative to several of the Figures,including FIGS. 11-19, it should be noted that the shape of the prongscan be round, to fit the requirement of A/C prongs in certain countriesof the world. Note further that the present invention can be used withfoldable phones. In a further embodiment of the invention, the bottomone-third to one-half of the extension of each of the prongs 66, 68 canbe coated with an insulating material 66 a (FIG. 24), whereby even ifone were to stick very slim fingers between the back of the charger whenit is inside an A/C wall socket, he/she would not be able to touch anyprong surface which is “hot”. Preferably, only the outside surface ofthe prong is coated, and not the inside surfaces of the prongs whichface each other.

Still further, in FIG. 3, a charging connector 60 that is flexiblymounted is shown. However, that connector 60 can be configured to pointinwardly, so that it fits directly into socket on the phone.Alternatively, the connector 60 can be provided on the bottom panel inFIG. 3, pointing upwardly, so that a telephone can be slid through thetop and directly connected to the charger, particularly when the phoneis an iPhone®, where the connecting plug is at the bottom of the phone.

The charger of the present invention can be also implemented so that thecharger provides a plug on the inside, which allows connecting to theinput connector of the phone itself through the body of the charger.Thus, when the charger is not plugged into the A/C socket, the connectorallows access so that all the phone input lines are accessible from theoutside straight through the charger body. For example, with referenceto FIG. 27, the invention provides a system and mechanism whereby whenthe charger 50 has its interface connector 60 coupled to the inputconnector 8 of the phone 10, the user's access to the phone connector 8is physically blocked. However, in accordance with the presentinvention, the bypass arrangement in circuit 61 allows the inputconnector 63 in the charger 50, which is constructed to be a perfectreplica of the connector 8 allows the user to couple signals through theconnector 63 to the phone connector 8 via the action of the bypasscircuit 61. For example, the signal lines (not necessarily including thepower charging lines) may flow straight through from the connector 63 tothe connector 8 when the charger is connected to the phone.Alternatively, a multiplexer may provide the choice based on theposition of a switch (not shown). The charger itself may contain alocal, long-life battery for providing this functionality.

In FIG. 26, the folded A/C prongs 66, 68 are located in a groove 59within the body of the charger 50 or the phone 10 and can be slid outand then opened to charge the phone with the prong body 67 beingtethered by an A/C cord 55 to the charger or to the phone, as shown. TheA/C cord 55 may be wound on an internal spiral metal spring, so that iteasily pull back into the body.

Although the present invention has been described in relation toparticular embodiments thereof, many other variations and modificationsand other uses will become apparent to those skilled in the art. It ispreferred, therefore, that the present invention be limited not by thespecific disclosure herein, but only by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A mobile device charger, comprising: a main bodycomprising a charging circuit configured to receive a line AC voltageand convert it to a DC voltage suitable for charging a mobile device,the main body having a main body plane; and a pair of AC prongs foldableinto the main body plane in a stowed position and configured to bepivoted out of the main body plane in an operable position, each of theAC prongs has a respective main body plane in their stowed positions,the AC prongs lie flattened out so that the main body planes of bothsaid AC prongs extend in the same plane and parallel to the main bodyplane of the main body of the charger and said main body has a thicknessdimension of less than 12 mm.
 2. A mobile device charger, comprising: aclip formed of a first clip body portion and a second body portion whichare interconnected via a spring-biased clip and which provide an abilityto be clipped to an article of clothing; a charging circuit embedded inthe clip and including AC prongs foldable into the body of the clip in astowed position and configured to be pivoted out of the body portion inan operable position; a cell phone hook on which the mobile device canbe hooked, the hook having electrodes formed therein which areelectrically coupled to the mobile device, whereby the clip provides thedual functionality of supporting mobile device and also enabling it tobe inserted into an AC power source to charge the mobile device, andwherein the charging circuit is embedded in the first body portion andthe AC prongs are mounted to the second body portion.
 3. The mobiledevice of claim 2, including the USB connector.
 4. The mobile device ofclaim 2, in combination with a mobile device jacket which is configuredto clip and hold onto a mobile device charger and which is provided withsaid mechanism that allows it to be hooked on the hook of the clip andto communicate the charging signals to the mobile device.
 5. A mobiledevice, comprising: a mobile device body housing holding thereincommunication circuits that enable a user of said mobile device tocommunicate wirelessly with other mobile devices or with a centralcommunication system; an internal battery in said mobile device housingfor powering circuitry located within said mobile device housing; abuilt-in charging circuit for said battery; AC prongs stowed within saidmobile device housing; and an operating mechanism coupled to andconfigured to enable a user to selectively move said AC prongs in andout of said mobile device housing, wherein said mobile device housinghas a generally rectangular shape with length, width and thicknessdimensions and defining a main body plane which is orientedperpendicular to said thickness direction of said housing and whereinsaid AC prongs have respective main body planes and the body planes ofthe AC prongs lie flattened out in the same plane and oriented parallelto the main body plane of the housing in a stowed orientation of said ACprongs, and said thickness dimension is less than 12 mm.